Knee rehabilitation exercise device

ABSTRACT

A knee rehabilitation exercise device with a right and left leg brace, a rear knee strap, an upper leg strap assembly, a lower leg strap assembly, a portable rear brace assembly and an elastic resistance band. The left and right leg brace members are each comprised of an upper member and a lower member rotatably pinned together at the area of the knee joint. The left and right leg braces are attached to the upper and lower leg strap assembly. The rear knee strap is attached to the left and right leg braces at the knee joint. When a user places the elastic band onto L hooks mounted on the upper and lower strap assembly and the rear brace assembly is placed between the rear of the user&#39;s knee and the elastic band, a resistive stretching is caused when the user straightens his leg which exercises and strengthens the users leg muscles in the area of the knee joint.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 14/980,705, filed Dec.28, 2015, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 12/799,456,filed Apr. 26, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,220,623, which is acontinuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 12/157,767, filed Jun. 13,2008, now abandoned. Each of the prior patent applications isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to the field of portable leg exercisedevices and more specifically to a knee rehabilitation exercise device.

With today's rigorous sports activities including football, tennis,basketball and soccer it is unfortunately a common occurrence for activepeople to injure there knee joint to the point where surgical treatmentis necessary to repair the knee and areas around the knee.

Because of this, it has been necessary to provide devices to helprehabilitate the knee area after surgery. Some devices are simply legbraces that help take pressure off the knee joint while it is healing.Other devices are machines or apparatus that help strengthen the legmuscles around the knee and associated with proper knee function.

Patents that describe leg braces that help keep the knee joint supportedduring exercise include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,982,732, 5,116,296, 4,433,679and 5,980,435. Patents that describe exercise apparatus for helping torehabilitate the muscles of the leg around the knee joint include U.S.Pat. Nos. 4,546,968, 4,776,587, 4,979,737 and 5,181,895. However, thesepatents and other commercially available exercise devices have adeficiency in that none of them allows a person to wear a light weightinexpensive brace which has hooks attached to allow the user toreleasably attach an elastic band from the area of the upper leg to thearea of the lower leg, and to insert a portable assembly behind theuser's knee for the elastic band to stretch over to increase theresistance factor to the muscles surrounding the knee joint.Furthermore, none of the patents or other prior art shows a leg braceexercise device that allows the user to easily and quickly change theresistance band location from the back of the leg to the front of theleg whereby the user can insert a portable assembly in front of the kneewhich the elastic band passes over to passively stretch the knee jointto a straight position.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary object of the invention is to provide a knee rehabilitationexercise device that allows a person to strengthen leg muscles afterknee surgery.

Another object of the invention is to provide a knee rehabilitationexercise device that helps increase the range of knee joint motion.

Another object of the invention is to provide a knee rehabilitationexercise device that can be easily used by a person without the need foradditional help from a care giver.

A further object of the invention is to provide a knee rehabilitationexercise device that is light weight and can be adjusted to fit avariety of leg lengths and diameters.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a knee rehabilitationexercise device that can be fastened to a user's leg quickly and easily.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following descriptions, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, anembodiment of the present invention is disclosed.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, there isdisclosed a knee rehabilitation exercise device comprising: a left rigidleg brace, a right rigid leg brace, a rear knee strap, an upper legstrap assembly, a lower leg strap assembly, a portable rear braceassembly, an elastic resistance band, said left and right leg bracemembers each comprised of an upper member and a lower member rotatablypinned together at the area of the knee joint, said left and right legbrace attached at their uppermost ends to said upper leg strap assembly,said left and right leg brace attached at their lowermost ends to saidlower leg strap assembly, said upper leg strap assembly including a rearfacing upwardly turned L hook, said lower leg strap assembly including arear facing downwardly turned L hook, said upper and lower leg strapassemblies able to be formed into a circular shape by a user so thatsaid upper leg strap assembly fits around said user's thigh and saidlower leg strap assembly fits around the user's ankle, said upper andlower leg strap assemblies secured to said user's leg by standardattachment means, said rear knee strap fixedly held at said pinned kneejoint by said left and right leg brace, said rear brace assembly held inplace behind said user's knee joint by said elastic resistance band whensaid upper and lower L hooks interact with an upper and a lower aperturein said band, so that when said user straightens his knee from a bentposition, said elastic band stretches putting pressure on said rearbrace assembly, and said pressure transferring to said user's legmuscles causing them to contract and strengthen after repeated use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings constitute a part of this specification and includeexemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be embodied in variousforms. It is to be understood that in some instances various aspects ofthe invention may be shown exaggerated or enlarged to facilitate anunderstanding of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention with elastic stretch bandin place and the knee in the bent position.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the invention with the elastic stretchband in place and the knee in the straightened position.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the portable rear strengtheningassembly.

FIG. 4 is side view of the invention showing the rear knee strap.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the elastic stretch band.

FIG. 6 is a lateral perspective view of the invention with the elasticstretch band in place.

FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of the invention with the elasticstretch band in place.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the portable front stretch assembly

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a person attaching the top leg strap.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the top leg strap attached.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the leg strap and brace assembly.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of theinvention that attaches to a standard leg brace.

FIG. 13 is a side view of the alternate embodiment being used as apassive knee joint extension device.

FIG. 14 is a side view of the alternate embodiment being used as a legextension resistive exercise device.

FIG. 15 is a side section view of the adjustable portion of thealternate embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the alternate embodiment showingattachment means to a leg brace.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are provided herein.It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may beembodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed hereinare not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for theclaims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the artto employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailedsystem, structure or manner.

Referring now to FIG. 1 we see a side view of a person's leg 34 andwearing the leg brace of the present invention. A top flexible leg strapassembly 20 is attached to a pair of rigid leg braces. Each leg brace iscomprised of an upper half 22 and a lower half 24. Both left and rightleg braces can be seen clearly in FIG. 11 and are shown as left brace22, 24 and right brace 22A and 24A. The rigid leg brace members arepinned as shown by dotted lines 14, 16 in FIG. 4 to an intermediateplate 12 that connects upper brace member 22 to lower brace member 24via rotatable pin joints 14, 16. FIG. 4 also clearly shows rear kneejoint strap 54 which prevents the leg brace members 22, 24 from beingpushed forward when under pressure from elastic band 2. Referring backto FIG. 1, leg brace portion 22 extends to the top of nylon leg strap 43as shown by dotted line 22B and to the bottom of leg strap 45 as shownby dotted line 24B. The leg brace members 22, 24 are fixedly attached tothe nylon leg straps 43, 45 so that they prevent the two leg strapassemblies 10, 20 from sliding towards the knee joint when resistiveforce is applied by a spring member, such as the illustrated strap 2.Nylon strap 43 is approximately five inches wide and nylon strap 45 isapproximately four inches wide.

Elastic stretch band 2 is attached to L hook 6 on the upper leg strap 43and L hook 4 on the lower leg strap 45. Rear leg brace assembly 70 isportable and can be placed between the elastic stretch band 2 and therear of the user's knee 28 where rear knee strap 54 is located. Theoutwardly facing horizontal post 8 of portable brace assembly 70 engagesstrap 2 so that when the user straightens his or her leg 34, as shown inFIG. 2, the elastic stretch band 2 is stretched and thereby puts aresistive force on the users muscles associated with the knee joint,specifically the rectus semoris, vastus lateralis, intermedialis andvastus meialus oblique muscles. By repeated bending and straightening ofthe knee joint, the user can help rehabilitate the muscles associatedwith the knee joint after knee surgery. The present invention can alsobe used as a leg strengthening exercise for non-surgical conditions tokeep the muscles around the knee in top shape. The exercise can be doneby an individual without the help of an assistant. The rigid leg braces22, 24 are preferably made of aluminum and the leg straps 43, 45 aremade of plastic sheet nylon type six, approximately one sixteenth of aninch thick, so the entire assembly is light weight. The nylon straps 43,45 have enough flexibility to be able to adjust to a person's thigh andankle, but are also rigid enough that they will not deform whenresistive pressure is applied by elastic stretch band 2.

Side plates 26, 27 on portable knee brace assembly 70 help keep the kneefrom slipping off cross bar 29 as shown in FIG. 3. Cross bar 29 iscomprised of a padded layer as shown by dotted line 29 and a solid rodportion as shown by dotted line 31. Extension post 9 engages andprotrudes through an aperture 2A in elastic stretch band 2 therebyholding the post 8 in place.

Elastic stretch band 2 is shown clearly in FIG. 5. A series or apertures2A are each reinforced by a standard metal or plastic grommet 2B. Thestrap is made of highly elastic material such as latex rubber. The strapcan be made in a variety of thicknesses to provide varying degrees ofresistance. Additionally, the user can adjust the length of the strap 2by choosing which aperture 2A to use to engage L hooks 4, 6. The shorterthe distance of the elastic strap, the more resistance is applied to theuser's leg muscles. Because the strap can be easily removed andreplaced, the user always has the option to increase or decreaseresistive force by adjusting the strap length or by replacing one strapwith another thinner or thicker one. Another method of applyingresistive force, in place of the strap 2, is to incorporate a torsionspring at the joint location of the leg brace. The torsion spring wouldperform the same effect as the elastic band, however, my experimentshave shown that the elastic band is preferable because is provides asmoother range of resistance and can be easily replaced by other more orless resistive straps.

FIG. 6 shows a side view of the invention where the user has attachedthe elastic straps to the front L hooks 30, 32 and incorporated portablefront brace assembly 60 to provide a passive stretching of the kneejoint to help straighten a person's leg after knee surgery. It is commonfor a person to have a difficult time making his or her leg straightafter knee surgery. This configuration of the invention helps themuscles stretch into position. It is an important and novel feature ofthe present invention that one device can perform both functions ofproviding resistance to muscles around the knee when used in one modeand providing a stretching of the muscles when used in the second mode.FIG. 8 shows a clear view of the portable front brace assembly 60. It iscomprised of a top and bottom horizontal plate 64, 62 and a verticalplate 71. The vertical plate has tabs 61 at each corner to help retainthe elastic strap 2. The spacing of the top plate 64 and the bottomplate 62 is such that the user's knee 28 is spared from any contact,which would be uncomfortable after knee surgery. Padded members 63, 65interact with the user's leg just above and below the knee and providecomfort when the resistive force is applied by strap 2.

FIG. 7 shows a front view of the front brace assembly in operation. Theuser can increase the stretching and straightening of the leg bydisengaging apertures 2A and engaging apertures that would make theworking length of the strap 2 shorter.

FIG. 9 shows a user 21 connecting one side of the nylon leg strap 43with the other forming a circular pattern around the user's thigh. Theattachment buckles 40, 42 are standard snap fasteners. They are attachedto polyester straps 56, 58 which are fixedly attached to the nylon strap43 as shown in FIG. 11 which shows the snaps 40, 42 in their closedposition. The loose ends of polyester straps 56, 58 can be pulled by theuser to tighten the nylon leg strap 43 around the user's thigh. The sameholds true for lower leg strap assembly 10 where nylon strap 45 istightened around the user's ankle by closure snaps 46, 48 and tightenedin a similar way as upper leg strap assembly 20.

FIG. 11 shows the leg brace assembly in its open, ready to use position.Multiple apertures 25 in the rigid brace 22 allow the user to adjust theheight of nylon strap 43 which is held brace 22 by standard fastenersthat extend through both the strap 43 and the brace 22. The same holdstrue for lower leg strap 45 where apertures 27 allow the user to adjustthe height of the strap 45 thereby allowing a person to adjust theentire device to the user's leg length.

While the invention has been described in connection with a preferredembodiment, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention tothe particular form set forth, but on the contrary, it is intended tocover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may beincluded within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by theappended claims.

FIG. 12 shows a portable brace assembly 200 that is designed to attachto a standard leg brace. The standard leg brace includes a pair ofparallel vertically oriented stiff bar like members 210 connected by apair of resilient horizontal members 204, 206. Each bar member 210 ispivotally hinged by pivot pins 212. A resilient leg wrap 220 is alsopart of the standard knee brace and wraps around the user's leg 222.Now, referring to the unique components of the portable brace assembly200, an elastic member 202 is attached in four places 208, 209 to theleg brace. A knee pad 214 rests on the user's knee and a resistance post216 is placed between the knee pad 214 and the elastic member 202. Anextension post 204 protrudes through an aperture 238 in elastic member202. A support disk shown by dotted line 236 helps support elasticmember 202 and prevent it from falling toward the knee pad 214.

FIG. 13 shows a side view of the portable brace assembly 200. When theuser bends his or her leg inward in a compression motion, the elasticmember 202 is forced to stretch, thereby causing compression leg musclesto be exercised during the leg bending activity.

FIG. 14 shows the same portable brace assembly 200. However, the kneepad 214 has been turned around and the elastic member 202 is now at therear of the user's leg. In this modality, the user can exercise his orher leg extension muscles while performing a leg extension exercise,during the process of going from a bent leg position to a straight legposition.

FIG. 15 is a side section view that bisects the knee pad 214 and theextension post assembly which is comprised of a tubular outer member216, an inner tubular member 217, an elastic support disk 236 and anextension post 204. The outer tubular member 216 can be slid up or downthe inner tubular member 217 to adjust the overall length of the support216, 217 thereby increasing or decreasing the amount of tension appliedto elastic member 202. A spring biased pin 224 holds the two tubularmembers 216, 217 in place by engaging apertures 226. The knee padassembly 214 is comprised of a rigid molded portion 232 and a resilientovermolded portion 234. The center of both the concave side of the pad214 and the convex side of the pad 214 include depressions that aresized to accept the end of inner tubular member 217 thereby holding thetube 217 in place while a leg exercise is being performed. The innertube 217 is plugged into the concave portion of pad 214 via socket 230when doing leg extension exercises and tube 217 is plugged into theconvex socket 228 when doing compression exercises.

FIG. 16 shows a perspective view of the alternate embodiment elasticmember 202. Aperture 238 can be clearly seen. Additionally, the methodof attachment of elastic member 202 can be seen. U shaped channels 240engage each end of the leg brace bars 210. A threaded aperture in each Ushaped channel accepts a threaded bolt having a hand tightening knob 208at its head. Each end of the elastic member 202 includes an aperturethat allows the bolt of knob 208 to pass through so that when a userturns the knob 208 clockwise, the inner flat portion of the knob 208traps the end of the elastic member 208 and prevents it from movingwhile exercising as described above.

1. Knee rehabilitation exercise device comprising: a rigid upper memberand a rigid lower member rotatably pinned together to provide a pinnedjoint; an upper leg strap assembly attached to the rigid upper member,which upper leg strap assembly is configured to fit around a user's legabove the user's knee and to releasably secure the exercise device tothe user's leg; a lower leg strap assembly attached to the rigid lowermember, which lower leg strap assembly is configured to fit around theuser's leg below the user's knee and to releasably secure the exercisedevice to the user's leg; a spring member that is connected to the rigidupper member and to the rigid lower member and that is positioned suchthat the spring resists straightening of the user's leg and such that aresistive stretching is caused when the user straightens the user's leg;and a rear brace assembly connected to the rigid upper member and to therigid lower member, the rear brace assembly being configured to face andengage the rear of the user's leg at a location between the upper legstrap and the lower leg strap.
 2. The knee rehabilitation exercisedevice of claim 1 wherein the knee rehabilitation exercise device isconfigured to position the rear brace assembly behind the user's kneejoint and between the user's knee joint and the spring.
 3. The kneerehabilitation exercise device of claim 1 wherein: the spring member isan elastic stretch band; and the knee rehabilitation exercise device isconfigured to position the elastic stretch band behind the user's kneejoint.
 4. The knee rehabilitation exercise device as claimed in claim 3wherein: the upper leg strap assembly comprises a rear facing upwardlyturned L hook; the elastic stretch band defines an aperture thatreceives the rear facing upwardly turned L hook to attach the elasticstretch band to the upper leg strap assembly; the lower leg strapassembly comprises a rear facing downwardly turned L hook; and theelastic stretch band defines an aperture that receives the rear facingdownwardly turned L hook to attach the elastic stretch band to the lowerleg strap assembly.
 5. The knee rehabilitation exercise device asclaimed in claim 1 wherein: the upper and lower leg strap assemblies areeach comprised of a flexible sheet plastic nylon strap; the upper legstrap assembly is approximately five inches wide and the lower leg strapassembly is approximately four inches wide; the upper and lower legstrap assemblies are removably retained by polyester belting and snapfastening buckles attached to the belting.
 6. The knee rehabilitationexercise device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the spring member isconfigured to provide resistance to the user's rectus femoris, vastuslateralis, intermedialis and vastus medialis oblique muscles.
 7. Kneerehabilitation exercise device comprising: a rigid upper member and arigid lower member rotatably pinned together to provide a pinned joint;an upper leg strap assembly attached to the rigid upper member, whichupper leg strap assembly is configured to fit around a user's leg abovethe user's knee and to releasably secure the exercise device to theuser's leg; a lower leg strap assembly attached to the rigid lowermember, which lower leg strap assembly is configured to fit around theuser's leg below the user's knee and to releasably secure the exercisedevice to the user's leg; a spring member that is connected to the rigidupper member and to the rigid lower member and that is positioned suchthat the spring resists straightening of the user's leg and such that aresistive stretching is caused when the user straightens the user's leg;and a rear brace assembly connected to the rigid upper member and to therigid lower member, the rear brace assembly being configured to face therear of the user's knee, the rear brace assembly being comprised of apadded first horizontal bar having left and right ends, a secondhorizontal bar centrally attached to the first horizontal bar and leftand right knee retaining panels respectively fixedly attached to theleft and right ends of the first horizontal bar, the second horizontalbar terminating at its free end in an outwardly projecting post, and theelastic stretch band defining an aperture that receives the post so thatthe first horizontal bar rests behind the user's knee joint and thesecond horizontal bar extends outward to engage the elastic stretchband, the elastic stretch band being configured to stretch and applyresistive pressure to the user's leg muscles.